Amanda and I work in the Buford are KW office.  And, we have constantly heard other agents RAVE about this place.  I think I had a sandwich from this place a couple years back and it was good, but we just hadn't sought this place out.  It is a little off our beaten path.

Well, we were missing out!  The first thing that you will notice is that the restaurant is actually a converted service station.  It is decorated tastefully.... if Yoda on a shelf with lights projected above it to give a water-like illusion on the ceiling can be tasteful....  When I write that, it sounds tacky... but somehow it worked. 

One of the other things that worked was the wait staff.  Kelly was our waitress and she was fantastic.  Not only was she friendly and attentive, she actually knew the specials, and could describe them.  She knew the regular menu equally well.  She was able to answer questions and give suggestions.  Honestly, it was one of the most pleasant experiences we have had with wait staff in at least a day.  (There is a certain other place in downtown Buford that we learned not to go for lunch at around 2:15pm.  Apparently, their kitchen closes at 2:30pm, and they do not appreciate having people pop in so close to the kitchen closing down)  Actually, she really was fantastic and her knowledge of the menu really was amazing.  And, she may have been faking it, but we didn't get "I don't know, I've never had that".

So, what about the food?  Amanda had the Scallop Po Boy special paired with sweet potato fries, and I had the Royal rooster with Fried Green tomatoes.  The portions were more than ample, which is saying something because, well.... I am more than ample..... which means I can usually finish my meal.  I was unable to today.

It was all fantastic.  I am a fried food connoisseur.  One of the things that bothers me the most is food prepared in old grease, or grease that has been burnt, or that is not kept hot enough.  All of our food was fried.  (yep.... we are health nuts)  And, all of it was delicious.  None of the fried foods tasted like they were prepared in old oil and even though Rico's has a lot of fish items on the menu, the Chick, Tomatoes and Sweet Potato chips didn't have any hint of a fishy taste.

Everything was crispy, hot and juicy and very well seasoned.  

And, as far as prices go, it is very reasonable.   Mine was under 10.00 and Amanda's was 11.50.

If you are looking for a great place that isn't the same ole' same ole', that is delicious, fun and reasonably priced, I hope you will consider Rico's World Kitchen.  It will certainly be on our rotation from now on.

Oh, and don't forget to ask for Kelly..... did I mention she was amazing?

What is a Due Diligence Contingency?
When going into a contract, there are several protections for the buyer.  This post will be covering the due diligence contingency.  IN other words, the deal is contingent on the buyer doing their due diligence.  Due diligence is defined:  Reasonable steps taken by a person in order to satisfy a legal requirement, esp. in buying or selling something.  

The due diligence contingency is active for a specified length of time.  This time is negotiable and can be any length that the parties agree on.  The seller will want this as short as possible and the buyer will want this as long as possible.  This length of time is called the due diligence period.

The easiest way to describe the due diligence period is a period of time that the buyer can terminate the contract for any reason.  This is the time that you will get your inspection completed, get any additional information about the HOA you need to know, and, well, do your due diligence.  In other words, discover any and all information that would cause or preclude you from buying the home.

The most common reason that someone terminates a contract during due diligence is that the inspection uncovers an issue that the seller is not willing to fix.  However, as mentioned above, the buyer can terminate the contract for any reason.  If at any point during the due diligence, the buyer changes their mind, they get their earnest money returned.

Don't hesitate to make an offer!
As many buyers, especially those purchasing below $150,000.00 realize, there is a lot of competition in the market right now.  There aren't enough homes being listed and those that are are getting put under contract within days, if not hours.  If you want to sleep on it, you won't have the opportunity to purchase it when you wake up in many cases.

So, right now, it is imperative that you put in an offer as quickly as possible, and use the due diligence period to fully investigate it and ensure you want to go forward.  

Word of caution:
Some REO companies do not allow for due diligence, they have an inspection period.  These are a bit more restrictive in the reasons you can terminate the contract.  However, these companies move slowly in responding.  You won't have signed contracts for a few days.  Until the contract is signed, it is not binding and you can terminate. 

Final word:
No one wants to rush the decision to purchase a home.  It is a huge purchase and you want to be sure that this is the home for you.  That said, you absolutely cannot handle these decisions the way we have traditionally handled them.  You can't 'think about it'.  You have to act.  Be decisive and know you have protections if you discover something that makes the house not work for you.

Oh, and of course, make sure you have an agent that knows how to protect you, and someone that can explain all the contingencies.


Happy Hunting and good luck!

I think this is the first blog of 2013...so, why not make it something we can all identify with.....Pizza.  A couple of months ago, my wife was lamenting the fact that we did not have a 'good' pizza place in our area.  She was very, very wrong.  We had an awesome Pizza place in our area, we just hadn't discovered it yet.

I am always hesitant to blog about a place after the very first visit.  But, the food was so good I was tempted to break that rule.  Yes, THAT good.  Our first time there we had a pizza and a traditional calzone.  Both were superb.  Seriously, if you are looking for a good pizza joint in the Hamilton Mill area,  this is it.

But, alas, we could not go on one meal, so I was delighted to have to go back a second time to make sure the good food was not a fluke.  It certainly wasn't.  The food the second time was awesome as well.

The pricing is very reasonable for good Italian food.  Everything we have had from our first trip through every subsequent trip has been excellent.  No, the pizzas are not $5.00 and hot n ready, but they also don't taste like sauces spread over cardboard.  

The staff is friendly as well.  One of the owners is Luigi.  (no, I am not making that up) and I have seen him in there every time I go in.  His brother is also an owner, but he was in Italy over the holidays so I have yet to meet him.

If you are in the Hamilton Mill area, ie: Dacula, Buford, Hoschton.... you owe it to yourself to give this place a shot.  Great food.  Great people.  Great prices.  You could not ask for a better place if you are looking for a good pizza joint, or a good calzone joint...or really anything on their menu, which is extensive.

There address is 2590 Hamilton Mill Road, Buford, GA.  Phone number is 770-932-7121.  And, there Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Italys-Pizza-Pasta-Company/336555765973.

Oh, and of course, don't forget to like my Facebook page at:  http://www.facebook.com/RealEstateWise

If you can't make fun of yourself, then who who can make fun of?

I will say that right now, it is in fact a good time to buy and a good time to sell.  It is a good time to buy because interest rates are ridiculously low, and we are coming off the biggest market in documented history.  I imagine that the real estate prices went down more in Rome after the fall, but I can't pull those statistics up on my computer.  Now, it is a frustrating time to be a buyer because it is a struggle to get a contract on a home because there are multiple offers on most homes right now.  

But, if you are a seller, we have never had this low of inventory on the market.  We are 2.5 months of inventory in Gwinnett County.

So, yeah, it is a good time for both.

My wife and I were shopping for my daughter's homecoming dress a few weeks back at the Mall of Georgia.  (Yes, I was helping my daughter shop for a dress)  It was late, it was Saturday night and we were starving.  We were thinking of going to PF Changs, which is my favorite restaurant.  We were looking at an hour and a half wait... (did I mention we were starving).  Well,  I am always willing to try something new, so I suggested that we try Fuego Cantina and Grill.

If you have not deduced by now, Fuego is a Mexican restaurant.

The wait was non-existent.  We were able to sit right down and it was less than a third full on a Saturday night.  That typically is not a good sign, and I began to second guess my suggestion.  But, we were in and seated, so I wasn’t going to make a break for it.

I was pleasantly surprised.  The service was great.  Granted, there were very few people there……so… Anyway, we started with Chips and ordered a Queso dip.  The chips were seasoned, not just salted.  It was a nice change.  We ordered the Queso with Jalapenos on the side.  The Queso was good, but really is there such a thing as bad cheese dip?

I ordered the Mexican Tacos, my wife ordered the shrimp enchiladas.  My children ordered soft and hard tacos.  Everything was phenomenal.  It was amazing food.  Everyone was supremely satisfied.  The only word of caution is that if you get the Mexican Tacos, apply the red sauce sparingly.  It is amazingly hot.  It has a great flavor, but when I had finished, I was sweating.

We have been back one other time, and ordered the same thing.  The only criticism I have is that the food was not quite as good the second time.  They hand make their sauces, and the second time, the salsa tasted a little different, the lobster sauce on the enchiladas was a little different and the meat on the Mexican Tacos had a slightly different flavor.

All in all I would give it a solid four out of five and it is one of the best Mexican food restaurants in the area.  I am actually worried that it won’t last long because it isn’t getting enough traffic.

So, I guess this is self-serving.  I don’t want to see this place go out of business, cause I like the food. 

One note of caution,  it becomes more of a bar at 10pm.  So, if you are looking to enjoy a family night out, you should stick to early evening.